Ward 49
by Bellaralo
Summary: Hermione is a long-term patient on Ward 49 of St. Mungo's suffering the effects of the Cruciatus Curse. How will a visit from an old enemy help cure her?
1. Chapter 1

Ward 49

Chapter One: The Suffering

Two years. Two years is how long it took Harry Potter to destroy the remaining pieces of Voldermorts soul, and rid the world of the darkest wizard of our time. A lot has happened in two years. Two years ago I was attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I was a death eater, and I was climbing the Dark Lords ladder by setting up the events that lead to Hogwarts being, for better words, sacked. I was truly terrified of all that was asked of me, but I did it for my father. My father, while strict, was someone I looked up to my whole life. I respected my father, trusted him, and let him put my future in his hands to do with it as he wished. My childhood was a healthy one; I was spoiled, and able to manipulate my parents into getting what I wanted. My mother was always sending me sweets from home, telling me she was proud, and that I was strong for all that he had done.

_I miss my mother._

She was gone now, but I knew she all she did for me was to keep me safe.

I do not miss my father, atleast not what is left of him. He is currently awaiting the Dementors Kiss, he is broken and not the man he once was. He made that choice when he stood beside the Dark Lord opposing Harry Potter, as me and my mother stood in the middle unsure of where to go. She protected me from the killing curse that the Dark Lord directed at me, but if it were not for that curse Harry Potter would not have found a better distraction in order to get the upper hand on the Dark Lord. She had not only saved me, but very well every person opposing the Dark Lord the day it all ended.

He was truly alone in the world now. No friends to talk to and no parents to guide him. His only company was the guilt from his actions he took while he was a death eater, and those memories were eating away at him. He could barely sleep or eat. He felt pressure against his chest all the time, and no matter what potions he took there seemed to be no relief in sight.

Today he made arrangements to start repairing the damage he did. He had been pacing in his study for hours wondering why he would even try to apologize to _her._ It was for all purposes pointless. She did not even know who she was anymore, what chance did she have of remembering him? She was a victim of one of the worst types of tortures. For weeks she was tortured by Bellatrix into complete madness. Harry Potter did save her, but she left her mind here at Malfoy Manor. It was a shame; she was after all the brightest witch of her time. He really felt that his childhood hate for her came mostly from her academic progress, which was just better than his own. If she had not attended Hogwarts it was very likely he would have been the best at everything, but that was all in the past. She was still a muggle-born, which even now meant a great deal to him. Perhaps magic is not determined by breeding, but by the person themselves. He still disliked muggles, and there was nothing that could change his mind about that.

One of the best things about being a Malfoy was being rich. Being rich allowed Draco this opportunity today. With just the right amount of money he was able to arrange a visit with _her_ so that he could apologize for all the horrible things his aunt did to her while he stood watching, and doing nothing to prevent them. He was hopeful that the visit would relieve some of the pains he was having, remove some of the weight that was baring down on him so much he couldn't breathe anymore. He remembers he screams her cries and her pleas for death.

"_Please, Malfoy, it hurts. Please kill me" _His response had been "_No, mudblood, you deserve this." _Not only had he witnessed the torture, he had participated in some of the "fun" to please his aunt. On several occasions he had done things to her that he prayed to Merlin she could never remember.

He looked gravely at the sign. In big letters was written:

Ward 49

Right below in smaller letters, written as a dedication was:

_The Janus Thickey Ward for long-term patients suffering from magical damage_

AN: Well this idea just came to me for a fanfiction. I feel really strong about this one, and I know with readers support (reviews!) that I can write about it more.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Something Missing

Draco never really liked how hospitals made you feel, there was always that horrible over cooked potion smell that seems to always linger well after leaving. It was always cold, and everyone seemed to be in a rush. Medi-witches were walking briskly about, not easily missed in their lime green uniforms, parchment and auto-quills in hand ready to write down anything that happens.

After escaping the chaos of the main lobby he made it to the fourth floor, which was for spell damage patients. In the distance he could hear shouting from patients, as they were receiving treatments. He could hear a deep voice gentlemen shout _"Bloody hell, will you stop already!" _down the hall followed by a squeaked _"Well next time you won't give your four year old son a wand and tell him to wave it, will you!?" _Draco smirked, remembering his mother taking care of some of his injuries as a kid. A faint whisper in his mother's voice could be heard _"Next time you won't ride your broom so fast and high so you will not land in a tree?!" _The thought made him both happy, and sad.

He reached the entrance to where _she_ was at. There was a person in this ward because of him, someone he felt responsible for. It was _he_ who did not stop his aunt, and it was _he_ who helped with special choice forms of torture against her. With a groan of dread he looked up and gravely stared at the sign. In big letters was written:

_Fourth Floor - Ward 49_

_The Janus Thickey Ward for long-term patients suffering from magical damage_

Donations Welcome!

Draco's hand was inches from the door knob, but he paused. Suddenly he was filled with a since of dread and nervousness that you only get public speaking. He was not about to coward out, he did enough of that at school, and it was time to do what was right for once. With unsteady hands he turned the knob, opened the door slowly, and walked in.

He was not surprised to see a waiting room on the other side. He was surprised at how it was decorated. Gone were the rickety wooden chairs, the horrible old portraits of ancient medi-witches. The waiting room was of similar fashion as a home. It had dark, but homely tones, and pictures of patients smiling lined the walls. There were large couches instead of single person chairs, a plush rug, and several plants. There was also a fire place, and judging by floo powder on the mantel, it was connected to the network. Besides the colors and furniture, the waiting room put him to ease; it did not feel like a hospital anymore and that horrible smell was replaced by a hint of baked cookies.

He was quickly sought out by the ward greeter, who quickly took his name, who he was visiting, and how long he intended to stay. She was much too cheerful for his tastes, but anything was better then the hag of a Welcome Witch on the main floor. She asked him to take a seat, and if he was interested they just got the newest issue of "Seeker Weekly". She continued on with small talk about how one of the Holyhead Harpies was forced to quit because she was pregnant, apparently it was a most upsetting bit of news to the ward greeter.

He was shocked from happy thoughts about Quidditch by a loud female voice coming from the opened door, so deep into his thought he never heard it open.

"Malfoy, Draco. Please come this way!" Said an older woman, near ancient really Draco thought. She had a round face with half moon glasses, motherly eyes that were a deep green; she was also rather short and walked at a pace that would drive most insane.

Malfoy was silent as the woman was leading the way.

"Right over here. Mr. Malfoy, right here sir. My office, please come in." He walked in and watched as she sat at her desk "Please sit down, this will take a few minutes" She waved her wand, and parchment started coming from various cabinets, they landed with a thump on her desk.

"I was so happy to see you were coming to visit us finally. After your generous donations this past month, we wondered if you planned on seeing were your galleons were being spent" She was truly grateful, he could tell she was thrilled to have him here.

"Perhaps another time Miss? …" He did not recall her saying a name.

"Oh gosh, rude of me, I am Agnes Hickens." She said quickly while reaching out to shake his hand "I am the head caretaker of this ward, most call me Miss Agnes." She waited to see if he was going to respond, when he did not she said "Mr. Malfoy, I see here that you are asking to visit one Hermione Granger." She looked up from a piece of parchment; she was dead serious from the look she gave that he better have a good reason.

"Yes, that is correct. I and Hermione were fellow students growing up, and I rather hoped to visit her today for a short while" He said, avoiding all the real reasons he was there. This was not a pleasure trip to visit an old friend; this was a quick apology and is done with it.

"You do know she had no memory of ever attending school, and her magic is unstable because of the severity of her condition?" He winced when she mention Hermione had a condition.

"What type of condition?" He asked, not really interested because he already knew why she was here.

"She suffers the long-term effects of a very dark curse Mr. Malfoy. She is disconnected from reality on most days, and has few moments of true clarity. She also is prone to fits of rage, depression, and..." She cleared her throat "Sexual frustration"

The last one was unexpected, but he guessed that was normal. If he were to be in this place all the time, with no one else to sleep with, he bet he would be sexually frustrated as well.

"You should have no problems today. She is having a great day, and perhaps with an old friend visiting she may even eat more tonight than usual." She smiled widely.

"One more thing,Mr. Malfoy, before you may see her."

"Yes"

"You will need to leave your wand here in my office. I have a place for visitor wand drop off" She pointed to a locked case beside her desk. He sighed, but placed his wand in the case that was requested.

"Alright, let's head down to the living quarters so you can see your friend"

Draco followed her lead again, heading down a long hallway that ended in large wooden doors. She stopped briefly to wave at the guard at the station to the right of the door, and he quickly unlocked it for her.

When the doors opened he was surprised at the large amount of people who were patients.

"So many people" Draco stated

"It is quite said, many of these patients are recent. Since the fall of You-Know-Who, many of these people were prisoners up until the end" Suddenly Draco became very uncomfortable, what if someone recognized him, but he remembered that the only person to ever see his face was Hermione. Showing Hermione who they were was Aunt Bella's idea, she felt it would terrify Hermione more knowing just who was casting the spells to cause her harm.

Agnes pointed off to the right, and Draco looked over.

"Right over there. If you need a more private area to talk, we have several rooms, just find a staff member too unlock it for you." Draco stopped paying attention to what she was saying once he saw Hermione for the first time since her unpleasant stay at Malfoy Manor.

She was sitting by the window, looking out onto the city, legs curled up to her chest. Her brows occasionally furrowed slightly, as if she was deep in thought. Protected between her chest and legs she held a tattered black book, she was tracing the leather with her finger, as if to ensure it was still there. Her hair was less of a mess than when she was at school, he noticed, and Draco was sure it was because they made her brush it here.

"I am sure you can handle it from here. Just knock while wearing this" she handed him a small wrist band "And someone will open the door for you. Good day Mr. Malfoy, and you are welcome here anytime"

He looked at her and felt so much pressure in his chest that he was sure she would fall over with shame and guilt. He was about to look away, being a coward and just leave, but she looked his way. For a second he thought she had recognized him, her eyes searching his and then looking over his body. It was as if she had been trying to piece together something about him, but also sizing him up at the same time. He was not expecting her to smile at him, get up from her set by the window, and come directly over to him. There was no anger in how she walked, and he swore she had a little bounce in her step.

"They told me a few minutes ago that I had a visitor. We apparently went to school together." She reached out her hand "Nice to meet you again Mr..?"

"Malfoy, call me Malfoy" He said taking her hand in a quick gesture of introduction.

"Mal-foy." She said eyebrows furrowed "Sounds so familiar, can you tell me who exactly you are?"

Authors Note

Sorry to end it there, its 4am, and I am really tired! I will update with a third chapter hopefully in the next 24 hours. Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Worn Pages

"Mal-foy." She said eyebrows furrowed "Sounds so familiar, can you tell me who exactly you are?"

For a short moment Draco did not say anything. He was so focused on just coming to see her; he really had no idea what to say, or the reason for his visit. He looked down, not wanting her to see how hard this was for him. When he looked up, he was back to his normal self. Draco's eyes were serious, not a hint of sadness that could be seen.

"We're not friends. We were never close as children, sure we saw each other on a daily basis, but you had your friends and I had mine" He said, being as honest as he could without being too harsh about the truth. "I actually picked on you the whole time we attended school together, and once I heard of your…condition" He barely got condition out, he was hard for him to say it "I decided that I should come and visit, and apologize for how I treated you when we were kids"

He looked up from the floor to see her reaction, and she seemed a little shocked.

"I wondered why when I first looked at you I suddenly had a strong feeling about you, it was if you were someone important, someone I needed to remember" Draco took a moment to really look at her. She was wearing simple muggle clothing. She wore a plain white shirt, and a pair of tan slacks that hung loose on her body. She moved her hand to hair, pushing back a stray curl behind her ear, and that is when he saw her forearm. Faint but noticeable was the word "Mudblood" scarred on her pale skin. The littlest hint of pink could be seen outlining the word. He shuttered, and looked away.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, almost like a child.

"No, it just suddenly got cold" Draco said, rubbing his arms as if to prove he was in fact cold.

"Do you want to sit on the couch by the fire?" Hermione said, her head to the side were the fireplace was.

"I see no reason not too"

They walked across the room to the far corner to a fireplace, but at closer examination he noticed the flames were not truly burning. It was a burn-less fire, it gave off some heat, but you could run your fingers through the flames if you wanted too without getting burned. They both sat down on the couch, but he noticed that she sat much closer than expected.

"Can I tell you something that has been on my mind lately, something I have not told anyone?" Hermione looked up as she said this, a small frown on her face, with worried eyes.

"You can tell me anything you want"

"This is about what happened to me before I ended up here, is that ok?"

"Yes"

"I really don't understand why" Hermione pauses, she is deep in thoughts for a moment, but firmly states "but I feel connected to books." She sighs sadly "I have only one book here" She holds up the tattered black book, titled _Hogwarts a History_ "Agnes tells me it was my favorite when I was younger, but I want more. I want to know more about places such as _this_" Referring to Hogwarts emblem that contrasted greatly with the black leather cover.

"Why is it so important to learn more about places?" Draco said after, he could see the Hermione he attended school with slowly creeping out. She was always so eager for knowledge, to learn more about anything and everything. She was after all the brightest witch of her age.

"When I read this book, I feel connected. I almost can feel my feet walking through the halls as I read about them; I can hear the sound of my shoes against the stone. Just today I was reading about the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, I could smell the candles burning down at the tables, and I even smelt a feast as if it was right in front of me." She was starting to get very quick with her words. "It was the most calming feeling." She looked at Draco as if he was going to call her crazy, but he just nodded. He could see it in her eyes that she trusted him completely then. Her large amber eyes were searching his for acceptance of what she believed was happening. He was worried. If she were to regain the memories from what caused her illness, he could not be able to live with himself. She trusted him right now, and told him things her caretaker did not even know. It was a trust he did not deserve, but with no other choice he accepted it.

Draco remained silent for a few moments as he processed the information she had offered to him. His thoughts were also drifting to a time when Hogwarts was a place of excitement, wonder, and a home.

"You are hoping with more books to read you may start to remember who you were before you became a patient here?" Draco said, a frown reaching his lips. He knew what would happen if she remembered, she could have him put in Azkaban for the things he did, and she would never look at him like she was right now. He felt he finally inherited a friend, someone he needed right now with everything that had happen. She was as close to an equal he could ever get. It was truly a shame she was a muggle born, because she would have been able to go great things if she was a pureblood. A mind like Hermione's would never truly get backing without pureblood ties.

"Yes, I want to remember everything. I want to get out of here. I want to know who these people are that visit me, and why they feel they should" Hermione said glancing at the burn less fire, she looked so lost.

"Who else visits you?" Draco said, curious, but sure he already knew. He shifted on the couch, noticing how their legs briefly touch. Uncomfortable with the physical contact, he shifted more to give himself more leg room.

"There is Harry, he is a nice guy, seems sad all the time. His girlfriend, Ginny, treats me like a close friend. She often brings me sweets to eat; she hugs a great deal as well." Hermione sighed and rubbed her arms as if a chill was coming over her. "There are a few more, but one person really makes me feel uncomfortable. His name is Ron. He tried to kiss me once, and when I slapped him he shouted at me with anger. I really do not want to see him again; he makes me feel like I should belong to him in some way." Draco wanted to laugh, but did not. Anything that hurt the little Weasly was just fine with him, but he could see why Ron would be upset. Since overhearing their fight at the ball in the 4th year he knew these two would end up a couple.

Suddenly Hermione turned to look at him. Her eyes were cold and full of hate. Her fist balled at her sides, they were shaking.

"Have you not done enough to me Malfoy? " This had to be a moment of clarity that the caretaker had told him about. She recognized him; there was no doubt about that. The way that Malfoy rolled off her tongue was just how he remembered it as kids. I rather liked the way she said his name earlier, it was nice.

She slapped him. It hurt quite a bit, and he was surprised about how much force she got out of those thin arms.

"I remember who you are now, how dare you come here while I am confused like this. You are sick, you know that right. You did this to me, I will get better soon, and I will kill you" She said these in a low tone, like a whisper but it sent chills into his soul how she spoke with him.

She snapped out, a smile on her face. It was such a quick change from clarity that the smile freaked him out.

Malfoy needed to get out of there right now, this was just too much for him. The real Hermione hated him and did not want him there. He suddenly could not handle this anymore; it was just too much for him.

So he left, saying a grumbled goodbye. Hermione was clearly not pleased that he was leaving, but thanked him for coming and she asked when he was coming back. She followed him from the couch to the door, waiting for a response. His response was "I do not know" but he was already knocking on the doors to get out, never looking back at her.

Hermione stood for a few moments looking at the closed door before noticing that she left her book on the couch. With a small yelp she picked it up and hugged it to her chest. That was the first time she had forgotten it since she received it.

I hope that you like the newest addition to the story. Please review, and send messages with any advice or suggestions you can give. Fav, Follow, and Review = happy writer!

Special thanks to Drgon Blue for your encouragement.


End file.
